Introduction
Describing pictures is a useful way of learning vocabulary and practising language for giving detail.
1. Read the description of a photo, then answer the questions below.
We can see a group of people having a picnic in the park. They're young families, with babies and small children. There are some baby carriages around the blankets they have put down for their picnic. Two mothers and a father seem busy taking care of their small kids. The others are stood or sat around, though one little girl in the middle with a colourful striped dress is on her own. She appears to be holding something up to her mouth, but it's difficult to see what it is. Although the people seem to be relaxed, they're not mixing together as a group. And as there aren't many things on the blankets you would associate with a picnic, they're probably coming to the end of their stay and getting their things together before they go. There are decorations hanging from a tree at the front of the picture, so perhaps it's been one of the children's birthday party.
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Question 1 of 4
1. Question
Decide if the statement about the text is true or false.
1. The description of the photo is only about the physical things in it.
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Question 2 of 4
2. Question
Decide if the statement about the text is true or false.
2. The description includes opinions based on information in the picture.
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Question 3 of 4
3. Question
Decide if the statement about the text is true or false.
3. The description is varied in its use of vocabulary and structures and avoids repetition.
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Question 4 of 4
4. Question
4. Match the expressions to the definitions below.
Sort elements
- baby carriage
- blanket
- stripe
- on her own
- hanging
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Vehicle that consists of a small bed supported by a frame on four wheels.
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Cover made of warm material, usually used on a bed.
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a long, straight band of colour
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alone
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Supported at the top leaving the other parts free to move.
2. Look for the photo described in the text in pictures 1-4 below, then click 'Answer'.

- Answer
'Seem', 'Appear' and 'Look Like':
3. Look at these sentences from the first part of the text:
A) There are some baby carriages around the blankets they have put down for their picnic.
B) Two mothers and a father seem busy taking care of their small kids.
C) She appears to be holding something up to her mouth, but it's difficult to see what it is.
In sentence A), 'There are' begins a description of what we can see in the picture. It's okay to start with a visual description, but you should then focus on the situation, explaining what you think is happening and why.
We use the bold (black) expressions in sentences B) and c) to say we think something is true, from the evidence we have. This is called 'deducing' or 'making a deduction'.
They seem busy
They seem busy taking
They seem to be busy
They seem to be taking
They seem to be busy taking
But not:They seem taking
Sentence C) is a little different: 'appears' in this sense always has 'to be', both with an adjective or a noun (like 'holding' in the example).
Not:We can also use 'look(s)' and 'look(s) / seem(s) like' with the same meaning as the examples above, but again, there are a few differences in the form: 'look(s)' + adjective never has 'to be'.They appear busy
They appear to be busy
They appear to be taking
They appear to be busy taking
They look busy'look(s) / seem(s) like' always has a noun or noun phrase.
But not:They look to be busy
And not:They look to be taking
Not:They look / seem like busy
but: They look / seem like they're busy.
They look / seem like they're talking.
Practice
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Question 1 of 2
1. Question
4. Order the sentences to create more deductions about the picture.
Begin with this: “The park looks quite empty, so…
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...it might be a weekday. It appears to be summer because the people are wearing...
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...shorts and t-shirts, and the trees are full of green leaves. The woman at the back...
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...with her arms folded seems bored. She's standing on the right...
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...of another woman who looks like she's talking on her phone. The two big, white boxes...
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...appear to be empty, so maybe they had cakes in them...
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...or they could be for throwing rubbish in.
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Question 2 of 2
2. Question
5. Choose the best expression from the box to complete the sentences below. (There are two possible expressions for each sentence.)
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seem(s) seem(s) like appear(s) look(s) look(s) like 1. He (appears, seems) to be buying something from that man by the shop.
2. It (looks, seems) like they don't want to be there.
3. They don't (seem, look) too worried about the angry crowd.
4. She (looks like, seems like) she's about to go.
5. They (appear, seem) to be suffering from the heat.
6. Do you think they (look, seem) happy? I don't.
7. While he (seems, appears) to be very calm, I bet he's scared inside.
8. They (look like , seem like) they haven't been to sleep for days.
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